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﻿likes. She does not like young girls and beanx and babies and love-etories and moonlight walks and rides; or, rather, 6he con-biders them all highly improper. “She would not get married for all the world ; and will not read the list of deaths in a newspaper, because that of marriages is printed just above it. She talks a great deal about singlc-blessed-ness ; as if she could make any one believe there was a single bit of blessedness in her life. “I’m tired, auntie. Isn’t that enough ?” “1 think so” was the quiet rc-ply. “Why don’t yon laugh, Aunt Em ? The girls at school thought that was a capital composition. It is provoking to say anything that 3-0U mean to be very funny, and that you expect people to" laugh at, and not have auy one laugh.” “I3nt yotu- description is not general one, Carrie. You lfave described an exceptional case; and I very much doubt your having seen this exception—the original of your picture.” “To be sure, I’ve • seen old maids,” persisted Carrie, rather vexed that her mint should take such a practical view of the subject. Let me illustrate my meaning by giving you a description of a young lady. * - Carrie- now became very deeply interested in her work, and pushed the darning needle in, and drew it out so forcibly, that the holes grew larger instead of smaller,'and the yarn broke,-all adding to her inward vexation. But very calmly “Aunt Eiri.” went on witlrJ her work and Jier desc.ri]rtiftn of a young lady, which was as Ibllo'T*: “A J'oung lady is, according to Xatoral History, of the genus bra-dypus(only as regards work or anything useful, Carrie, so don’t look cross); age somewhere between fourteen and twenty-five, after which they become old maids, unless they marry, which they are exceedingly anxious to do. I infer : this from the tenor of their conversation which is mainly on beaux and who is a good catch, and for whom they will set their caps; and nlso from the horror which they have of unmarried ladies, or ‘ojd maids.’ “If a young buly^ cheeks needs plumpors, slxe wears them ; if her complexion needs lily-white, she uses it; if she has not a sufficiently imposing waterfall or coil, she buys one, and curls *her scolding locffs with* a shite pencil. Tliis for.personal appearance. “A yOnng lady, likes, tender-eyed poodles, ices, novels, and -^Qiitlemen, partictilarly such as il-Instrtite the Darwinian flieory of. development. They'mu»t be gentlemen of wealth and fashion, for Maidens, like inotbu. are ever caught by ^liirc, • ' And M.«*imon wins his way whers seraphs might despair !' “She dislikes old maids, perhaps becayse they seek to give her the benefit of their own observation and experience ; t)ut it,muy be'because in them, she seemlier possible future self ; she dislikes babies when obliged to care for them, but if little Willie should cliance to come iuto the parlur with fticc, dress and apron clean, both shoes on, vfce., and Hr. Hyperion shoulu descend from his eloquent discussion of the ‘la»t ‘awpewah,’ ‘swahwii,’ or ‘Jiawp,’ and notice tl^e little fellow',—then the utterly demonstration is truly wonderful, and the astpnished and delighted Willie runs back to mother, • • ing, ‘Sissy was weal dood to me, mamma, Hikes to stay in the parlor.’ “That is not fiction, Carrie, a« your uncle William will tell you.” “Why, Aunt Em ! I hope you are not describing yourself,” interrupted Carrie, holding up both hands in amazement, the stocking drawn over one, the darning needle in the other. “A young lady,” continued her aunt, dislikes utility-above anything else. She embroider# a little, if quite stire that the article embroidered can be put to no practical use; but plain sewiivg and hefusework 6he utterly detests. She says 6he never will marry, but that is only to conceal the sharp hook with" which she liopes to catch her gold fish some day. “Is that enoOgh. Carrie-?” “I think it its. Aunt Em ; but I know 3’ou don’t mean me, for it is not like me a \)it/’ “Xo,” replied her annt, “I do not think it ip, nor do I think that your de&cripHou of r do I think yon meant any one in particular, nor even the clas* of old maii^s in general—at least your der-cription did not appir to them, as yon said it was only nonsense,, or fur ridicule. X*>w do you think it right to hold ap to ridicule any worthy cla=* of community ?